


Between the Claws of the Crab

by Akhimy



Series: Deadly Sins and Dark Desires   Série [3]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Cancer, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akhimy/pseuds/Akhimy
Summary: - It's all right, it's all right. You're gonna beat the damn cancer. You're young, you're healthy, and the cancer is small, you're going to get better. You heard what Ivanov said: 95% cure rate for prostate cancer, and for those like you in stage 1-2, it's 100%. You're going to survive,it's just going to be a rough patch to get through.Akihito feels that he is rocked, that a hand is stroking his hair and that Yuri is talking to him in a low voice, almost painfully hugging him.- And you won't be alone. I won't let you down, моя любовь.
Relationships: Yuri Arbatov/Takaba Akihito
Series: Deadly Sins and Dark Desires   Série [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738096
Comments: 9
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

Akihito put his headphones in his ears as the plane supposed to take him back to Moscow took off, his head waving with fatigue. He was satisfied with the report in Syria and, above all, he was happy to finally find his lover's arms again after two months of travelling through a country at war, sleeping in tents with soldiers and waking up in the middle of the night because of the shooting in the distance. He smiled as sleep began to take over and thought for a moment of the relief that must be overwhelming his lover at this moment, he who had been so worried and who had, due to the lack of a network, had little news of him.  
  
Yuri was waiting for him near the runway, dressed in trousers and a t-shirt that seemed to enhance his musculature, which surprised Akihito, given that it was not in his habits. The man joined him and Akihito dropped his two travel bags to jump on the Russian's neck and kiss him, his legs clasping around his slender waist as his fingers went into the blond hair and grazed the leather headband strap. Gods, Yuri had missed him so much: the rough softness of his lips against his, the softness of his hair and the smell that was already turning his head.   
\- I missed you so much, моя любовь.   
They parted in breathlessly and Akihito blushed when he heard the other team members whistling and applauding.   
\- You too, моя большой медведь.   
Yuri put him on the ground and took his bags and Akihito started to talk to him about what he had been doing during those two months, because in Syria he didn't have many opportunities to talk quietly with his lover about what he was doing. So, he told him about the days of driving in 4x4s among the ruins of abandoned towns and villages while the wind brought sand to their faces, about the evenings around a small fire where they ate pasta and cans when they were not lucky enough to find a hotel in a town or village that was not abandoned. He tells him about the Kurdish soldiers he had met - and who had sometimes escorted them into dangerous areas - and the shooting in the distance, and the pictures he had taken of the soldiers, the desolate landscapes and the villagers he had met as Yuri drove them inside Moscow, to Yuri's house for their privacy.  
Akihito put his hand on the hand of the man on the handbrake and listened to Yuri in turn tell him about the affairs and attempted betrayal of one of the Mexican cartels that Aaron had gone to check out with some of their men.  
\- Feeling good?  
Akihito smiled slightly and nodded his head before whispering:  
\- I can't make it to midnight, though. Are you going to take me somewhere?  
\- Tonight, yes. Take advantage of this afternoon to rest and get in shape.  
The young man yawned at these words and closed his eyes, letting sleep carry him away under the hot Russian sun.   
  
He's awake because of an urge, probably caused by Suna's big heavy head on his belly. Akihito smiled and stroked the brown and blackbird dog for a moment before getting up, being careful not to wake up the hound and slipped into the bathroom to empty his bladder and sighed with happiness before closing his eyes.  
\- Didn't you drink a lot of water in Syria?  
Yuri's voice almost startled him and Akihito shot his lover with his eyes before flushing the toilet and answered by quickly washing his hands:  
\- For a two meter tall guy, you're pretty damn quiet. And I may have been a bit negligent indeed, apparently.  
Yuri smiled slightly at him in response, although his eye looked at him like that of a hawk, as if he was expecting him to tell him that he had been shot, and pulled him up against him to whisper:  
\- I am not silent, it is you who is lost in thought.   
Akihito smiled and pressed his lips against those of the man before whispering:  
\- Perhaps. How should I dress?  
\- With your white suit. We'll spend an hour or two at a social gathering to show our new business partners our white paws and then I'll take you to a restaurant and honor you at the hotel all night.  
The young man nodded his head, his entrails already writhing at the thought of being in the middle of a snake pit. But if that was the price he had to pay to have his lover all to himself for the night...  
His lover smiled at him, a gleam of thanks and understanding in his eyes as they left the bathroom to get ready.  
  
The reception hall was huge. Clinging to Yuri's arm, who seemed indifferent to the room's regal décor, with its chandeliers, gold moldings, marble floor, paintings and decorations in Corinthian bronze, and long aisles of food-covered tables that looked enticing. Among the crowds of women adorned with gorgeous dresses and sumptuous jewelry and men in suits with carefully combed hair and smelling of Water of Cologne and aftershave. Waiters in suits circulated among them, offering them aperitifs and drinks. Silently, Akihito followed his lover who led them to a group of men, bending over to whisper to him that the tall man with slicked-back black hair who seemed to be the focus of the group's attention was their new drug supplier.   
\- Ah! Isn't that Yuri Arbatov?   
At the exclamation of the black-haired man, the others stepped aside to integrate them into their group and Yuri displayed a falsely happy smile and put his arm around his shoulders, as if to reassure him.  
\- Indeed Igor.   
\- And who is that young boy on your arm? Isn't he your lover?  
The man's brown eyes fell on him and Yuri added:  
\- Igor, this is Akihito Takaba. Akihito, this is Igor Alexandrov.   
Akihito accepted the outstretched hand and smiled, whispering greetings as the knots in his belly loosened slightly.   
\- I hear you're Japanese? Can you tell us about your country? I've always dreamed of seeing Japan, but I haven't found the time to go yet.  
The circles drawn by Yuri's thumb on his shoulder and his warm look on him finished relaxing him and Akihito began to answer the questions of the men, visibly curious about the Asian mentality, about his country while Yuri was talking in a low voice about business with some of the men in the group. Yuri eventually excused them and took them out of the evening and into the dark streets of the city to a destination known only to him.  
  
Yuri barely had time to close the door behind them when Akihito was already jumping at him, his legs wrapping around the man's hips and his arms around his neck, his lips already sealing against those of his lover, the urge swirling imperiously in his entrails. The young man closed his eyes as arms wrapped around him as Yuri took them to the huge bed in the middle of the room. Akihito purred as he landed softly on the satin sheets and as Yuri's warm body pressed against his, hungry lips met his as large hands slowly slipped under his shirt, pressing them gently as if he was rediscovering his body.  
Akihito let his hands wander over Yuri's torso and undid the buttons on his shirt to access the man's warm, hard skin, closing his eyes as the kisses made their way along his jaw and neck and his lover's hands migrated to his pants to remove them.  
They moved away from each other for a moment to remove the rest of their clothes before they pressed together again, Yuri's glazed eye seeming to scan his body, seeming to want to see if he had any wounds as one of his hands slid up to his thigh and touched him with the tips of his fingernails, The young man shivered as he moved his head so that Yuri had more skin to suck and chew on, his hands touching his lover's chest, savoring the sensation of warm skin and muscles rolling underneath, like steel under his palms.  
He arched his back when teeth bit one of his nipples and when the hand on his thigh slipped down to his buttocks, a finger touching his entrance to tease him, and Akihito was sure that the old man was smiling as he watched him twist underneath. The young man groaned as his lover began to lick and suck his nipple, the man's other hand playing with the abandoned one, and the finger teasing him ended up penetrating him slightly.  
With his eyes half-closed, Akihito gasped as the heat in his body began to intensify and his lower abdomen palpitated with need, Yuri's lips leaving his nipple and returning to his lips, a warm tongue gently slipping between them to battle with his tongue.   
Akihito grabbed Yuri's hair in a grip that must have been painful as the man moved his hips slightly, their erections stimulated by rubbing against their bellies as a second finger was added, and the young man breathed a sigh of pleasure as they began to rub against that soft spot in him that made the discomfort of the fingers disappear.  
Yuri suddenly interrupted the kiss and frowned and Akihito made a deep groan as the fingers massaged more intensely before Yuri murmured, looking troubled.   
\- I feel like I feel something strange, try not to move.  
Akihito's teeth gnashed at the man's remark and tried to stay still despite the flashes of pleasure that ran through him as the fingers continued to massage him. The young man began to worry when he saw a glimmer of anxiety appear in the blue fire eye of his lover, who withdrew his fingers before answering his silent question:  
\- I feel a small lump and your prostate looks harder. It may be nothing, but I'd like you to see a doctor tomorrow, okay?  
Akihito nodded his head even though the idea of going to the hospital again turned his guts inside out, and he closed his eyes as Yuri kissed him along his temple while one of his hands gently stroked his hair in a soothing gesture.   
\- Do you want us to stop?   
The young man closed his eyes and pressed his face against Yuri's shoulder to breathe in his scent before whispering, his arms wrapped around his broad, powerful, muscular shoulders.  
\- We're not going to let a sledgehammer ruin our evening, are we?   
He's not going to worry now, because he probably won't know what he has until tomorrow anyway, and getting anxious won't do any good. Might as well put this news out of his mind and enjoy his lover he hadn't seen for two months.  
And Yuri was so soft and tender in his arms, their bodies melting into each other to fill each other with warmth in the darkness, an almost desperate attempt to form a single being with two hearts, that Akihito quickly forgot what had stopped them a few minutes before and groaned and gasped noisily in the hollow of the man's ear, his nails scraping the man's shoulders for the thousandth time, redrawing familiar purple furrows, his hips moving somehow to meet Yuri's, and he closed his eyes as stars bursting under his eyelids.   
He only opened them for a few moments, just to see Yuri's face tormented by lust, with his eyes closed and his eyebrows furrowed as if he was concentrating on what he was feeling and moving, his lips ajar and letting out a slightly panting breath near his ear, making him shiver, while the man's fair skin glowed with an opaline glow in the moonlight.   
He closed his eyes and let out a scream as Yuri bit his neck at the same time as he hit his prostate more severely, a large hand wrapping itself around his genitals to caress him, His vision suddenly turned black as his body arched under a burst of pleasure that made his head spin before Yuri uttered a beastly grunt that seemed to come from deep within his chest and came in turn, burying his face against his neck as the hand on his thigh tightened, almost hurting him.  
Akihito let himself go on the mattress, emptied and the body deliciously exhausted, and forced himself to get up to go to the toilet, followed by Yuri who kissed him before slipping into a shower, probably hot, and Akihito soon joined him, chasing deep inside his mind the bridles of worries that threatened to invade his mind.  
  
  
Akihito hated hospitals. He had never liked them, probably because of the smell of disease and disinfectants and the heat, not to mention the constant buzzing of machines and hospital staff talking and walking in the corridors. He hated them even more since Asami, and his ankle threw him painfully, just to those horrible memories.  
The young man sighed and sat down on one of the plastic chairs in the corridor as Yuri was talking to a nurse at the front desk about having an urgent appointment with a man named Ivanov, who was apparently the doctor who had taken care of him with his ankle. To be honest, Akihito had not tried to get to know the man at the time, his attention was all focused on Yuri and the healing of his ankle.  
The nurse finally walked away and Yuri sat down next to him, whispering that Ivanov would soon come to get them, and Akihito nervously shook the man's hand in his. He hoped that there was nothing wrong with him, that Ivanov would just do a quick examination and take some blood. His lover must have felt his nervousness as the man wrapped an arm around his shoulders and whispered in a low voice that everything would be all right.  
The brown-haired doctor, who was in his thirties, came out of one of the examination rooms in the corridor and looked around before he noticed them and joined them.  
\- It had been a long time since I had seen you. It's you, Akihito, who needs to see me?  
Akihito accepted the outstretched hand and nodded his head as Ivanov brought them into a rather modest office and settled down on a more comfortable chair as the man's green eyes settled on his computer screen while the regular clicks of the mouse broke the silence.  
\- So... you've come to see me why?   
\- Yuri says he felt some kind of lump in my prostate gland. And that this one is harder.  
Ivanov nodded his head and his fingers typed on the keyboard before he started again:  
\- Do you have any other symptoms, or have you been away recently?   
Akihito glanced at Yuri who nodded discreetly, as if to encourage him to talk.  
\- Well, I just came back from Syria, I was gone for two months. And I've been having some urinary problems for the past week, probably due to lack of hydration.   
Another nod and Ivanov asked him to elaborate on what kind of urinary problems.  
\- I'm having a harder time than usual...let's just say the stream is weaker and it's harder to get it out.  
New notes and Ivanov nodded his head before raising his head.   
\- Good. I'll get you an MRI and if the images aren't accurate enough, a rectal ultrasound. I'll also do a biopsy to supplement the MRI results.  
Akihito gritted his teeth. Damn, he was hoping the MRI images would be accurate enough. And he hoped a biopsy didn't mean putting something in his rectum. Yuri nodded his head, jaws clenched as his eyes froze, as if he was dealing with enemies, and the young man took the man's hand in his own, gently squeezing it to draw his companion's attention to him, an almost urgent need to be reassured as the anguish began to bounce his heart into his chest.  
  
It had been a rough morning. With his eyes closed, Akihito let Yuri put him in their bed, being careful to lay him on his side so as not to hurt him, and sighed contentedly when Yuri kissed him on the temple before whispering:  
\- Do you need anything?  
Akihito opened his eyes again before answering in a weak voice:  
\- I want a peanut butter, chocolate or strawberry sandwich with a glass of milk. And you.   
The biopsy was hurting him. He felt like his ass was on fire, and he was painfully aware that his prostate was now. He needed Yuri near him, as he had been throughout the exams, both comforting and reassuring. And he needed to eat something good and sweet and simple.  
Yuri ran a hand through his hair, whispering to him to rest, before leaving him alone, and the young man soon fell asleep, curled up in the warm sheets that carried the scent of his lover.  
He woke up because of a feeling of dampness on his nose. Moaning, he raised his hand to push away the thing that had dared to pull him out of his sleep, and his fingers plunged into a soft fur.   
\- Suna, let Akihito sleep, my fat one.  
The low murmur of his lover made him smile and Akihito opened his eyes to fall on the large soft pale eyes of the great Australian shepherd whose nose was pressed against his nose. Waiting, Akihito stroked the dog's head before noticing that soft sandwiches and a glass of milk with medicine had been placed on the bedside table.   
The young man stood up, being careful not to hurt himself too much, and turned his head to see that Yuri was sitting against him, his computer on his lap and files loose on a pedestal table that he had placed by the bed to work.  
\- Did you sleep well?  
Yuri's low voice made him shiver and Akihito nodded his head as his lover added, giving him a brief glance before returning to work.  
\- You can take antibiotics and painkillers if you want.  
One of Yuri's hands left his keyboard to gently caress his cheek and his one blue eye looked at him with tenderness and concern. Akihito felt his chest warm gently and took the man's hand and placed it on his cheek, closing his eyes to take advantage of the contact of the soft, slightly warm, calloused skin against his own.   
\- I'm fine. I love you.   
Yuri smiled back at him and gently stroked his cheek with his thumb before releasing him and returning to his work, although Akihito could feel his icy eye resting on him, watching over him like an immutable guardian, just like Suna who watched him waving his tail, head on his paws and ears erect.   
The milk was still cold, no doubt Yuri had kept it in the fridge while he slept, and the sandwiches had been generously spread, allowing him to fully enjoy the sweet and mild taste of chocolate, strawberry jam and peanut butter.   
He moaned softly before taking his medication, gulping it down with the milk and, once full, moved gently to lie down against his lover, placed his head against his hard chest and watched him work in a semi-torpor, rocked by the man's steady breathing, the warmth he gave off and the feeling of security he gave him, taking away the anxiety that was pulling his guts out.  
  
He was awakened by the ringing of a telephone. Yuri grunted against his neck and Akihito felt him move to pick up his phone and Akihito tightened his grip on his pillow arm and tried somehow to go back to sleep while his lover spoke in a low voice. After a few seconds, Yuri put his phone down and ran a hand through his hair before whispering against his ear:  
\- Ivanov received your test results, моя любовь. We're going to have to go there. You feeling up to it?  
Akihito opened a tired eye and whispered a wave of "I think so, yes" before turning around to bury his face against Yuri's chest, who had a light laugh before gently scolding.  
\- Don't make me ask Suna to wake you up.  
\- I understand.  
The young man sighed with discontent and forced himself to get up despite the point of pain that made him wince and sneak into the bathroom to wash as Yuri went downstairs, followed by Suna.   
Once dressed, Akihito went downstairs to find Yuri in the kitchen, dressed in a shirt and pants, feeding Suna his meal.   
\- We have an appointment in an hour.   
Yuri seemed almost more stressed about the results than he was. Akihito couldn't help smiling and took a sandwich with a glass of coffee and pills, preferring to eat standing while waiting for the painkillers to take effect, watching Yuri chatting on the phone while eating, pacing nervously as he talked with Aaron about work stuff.  
Eventually they returned to the hospital, his anxiety threatening to make him vomit his lunch and his mind so tormented that he couldn't even concentrate on the hand on his own in an almost futile attempt to relieve him. Once again, they waited on plastic chairs before Ivanov welcomed them into his office, a strangely neutral expression on his eyes that did nothing to reassure him.   
\- As I said on the phone, I was able to make Akihito's exams a priority ...  
Ivanov seemed to hesitate for a moment about what he should say and Akihito felt his grip on Yuri's hand tighten as his heart began to pound. He felt like vomiting and his head was spinning.  
\- Akihito, you have prostate cancer, which is quite rare at such a young age. Fortunately, it is localized, meaning that it is still only in the prostate and hasn't had time to spread to the rest of the body, which means that it is not at an advanced stage and will therefore be much easier to treat.  
The doctor tells them about the different treatments, chemo, prostatectomy and brachytherapy, the pros and cons, the risks and what they involve. Akihito is not sure he understands everything, his mind is foggy and everything comes to him as if he were under water: distant and suffocated. He tries to concentrate, if only to choose the right treatment, even though he is sure that Yuri would make the right choice for him. He sees him asking questions, the grip on his hand so hard that he's sure he'll probably keep a bruise on it, his jaws clenched and a burning fire of rage in his icy eye, looking as if he's about to go to war.  
\- Akihito? Are you with us?  
Ivanov's questioning took him out of his thoughts and Akihito nodded distractedly, still sounded by the news.  
\- As for treatment, I propose to first perform a partial prostatectomy to remove as much tumor as possible, and then, after you recover from the operation, do chemotherapy to complete what's left. This will be more effective and less burdensome than doing chemo alone. How's that sound?  
He feels Yuri's heavy gaze on him, waiting for him to speak, his thumb gently touching his fingers.   
\- I'm okay with that.  
He doesn't know what else to say. He just follows the doctor's advice, who then explains how it's going to go, even though Ivanov now talks more to Yuri than to him, occasionally writing down information or indications on a piece of paper.   
_I have cancer. I have fucking cancer._  
The idea turns so much in his mind that Akihito ends up feeling his stomach turn over and, with sudden nausea, gets up in a hurry to go out into the hallway and goes into the toilet to vomit, tears as acid as the bile burning his throat were running down his cheeks.   
He heard footsteps behind him and a hand lay on his back, making soothing circles, while a voice asked him if he was all right. Akihito groaned in response, his stomach cramping painfully, and vomiting what little bile he had left in his stomach. Shortness of breath, his fingers clenched on the ceramics, he let one hand wipe his lips with toilet paper and be pushed against a wooden wall, and closed his eyes when a glass of water was pressed against his lips so that he could rinse his mouth and spit the water back into the toilet, the pungent smell of vomit irritating his nostrils.  
\- Are you okay, моя любовь?  
He nodded his head, his forehead covered with cold sweat and tears continued to speckle his cheeks. He heard Yuri sitting next to him and an arm passed around his shoulders to draw him close to him, his arms hugging him in a warm and reassuring embrace, and the young man buried his face against his lover's chest, giving free rein to his sobs.   
\- It's all right, it's all right. You're gonna beat the damn cancer. You're young, you're healthy, and the cancer is small, you're going to get better. You heard what Ivanov said: 95% cure rate for prostate cancer, and for those like you in stage 1-2, it's 100%. You're going to survive,it's just going to be a rough patch to get through.  
Akihito feels that he is rocked, that a hand is stroking his hair and that Yuri is talking to him in a low voice, almost painfully hugging him.   
\- And you won't be alone. I won't let you down, моя любовь.  
He felt a thumb wipe away his tears and a sudden cold began to creep in despite the warmth Yuri was bringing him as fatigue made him yawn.  
\- Are you feeling better?  
\- Yes. Thank you.   
Akihito raised his head to cross Yuri's eye and Yuri smiled faintly before kissing him lightly and whispering.  
\- You don't have to thank me, моя любовь. We finish with Ivanov and then we go home.   
Yuri kissed him again before helping him up and brought them back to Ivanov's office to continue the consultation.


	2. Chapter 2

Akihito couldn't remember the operation. He just remembered waking up in the recovery room, his mind fluffy and his body wrapped in a warming blanket, Yuri standing next to him, before going back to sleep a few minutes later and waking up again a few hours later in a private room plunged in darkness, Yuri asleep on a chair next to him, his hand holding his own.   
\- Yuri...  
He grimaced at the pathetic sound of his voice, his throat irritated and his atrociously dry mouth unable to produce more words without his voice disappearing.   
His voice seemed to awaken his lover, who immediately turned to him, his eyes shining with relief.  
\- I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up.  
The man stood up to fill a glass with water and helped him to stand up before pressing it gently against his lips, encouraging him to drink gently as the young man greedily drank the fresh liquid.   
\- The operation went well and the surgeon was able to remove part of the tumour. You will have to rest for a month and take anticoagulants for two weeks.  
Yuri helps him to lie down and Akihito feels himself drifting again, even though he struggles with all his strength to stay awake and enjoy the presence of his lover at his side, his hands holding his own and his deep, deep voice telling him that the doctors were optimistic and that the hardest part was yet to come. That all that was left was chemotherapy.   
\- Do you want me to tell your loved ones?   
\- Kou and Takato. I'll call my parents.   
He wants to talk to his parents himself and tell them about him and Yuri. It doesn't matter if they're disappointed in him, he just wants them to know how important the man is to him, especially right now.  
Yuri nodded his head before stroking his hair and telling him to rest, that he will soon be able to eat when the doctors allow him to and that they will remove the urinary catheter.  
His dreams are restless, he sees Asami's face and twisted smile, doctors with menacing looks bent over him and holding instruments of torture, and his belly is deformed by tumors that make him suffer. He sees himself managing to leave the bed to which he's tied and crawling between the doctors who haven't yet noticed his departure because Asami is making a speech about the fact that he's his pet and that he's been punished for his betrayal, that he's going to fix it and that everything will be as it was before, once he's become a good and wise thing. And in the darkness that surrounded this operating room that stretched on forever, there was Yuri.  
Trembling with pain, Akihito began to crawl on the floor and shouted the name of his lover to come and help him, desperately reaching out his arm to come and help him. Yuri's only reaction was to wince, his icy eye looking at him in disgust as he told him that a walking corpse didn't attract him and walked away from him as he begged him not to abandon him and Asami's gigantic hand fell on him to lift him up like a kitten and put him in a penthouse surrounded by a fence.  
He woke up with a start, the pain continuing to radiate from where they had opened his belly, and shuddered when a cool hand rested on his chest to push him backwards as Yuri leaned over him, whispering to him that it was nothing but a nightmare.  
\- Are you there?   
He felt Yuri carefully lie down beside him and Akihito buried his face against the man's neck, his face bathed in tears and his hands desperately clutching his lover's shirt.   
\- You had abandoned me!  
His voice is broken by the sobs caused by fear and pain as the images continue to swirl behind his eyelids like demons.  
\- I won't abandon you моя любовь. Not now, not ever. Get this stupid idea out of your mind...  
The man kissed him on the temple before whispering softly, a slight smile on his lips.  
\- If it makes you feel any better, I'll handcuff myself to you.  
\- I don't see what difference it would make, you're still glued to each other.  
Aaron's voice startled Akihito who looked over the man's shoulder to see the Russian with the scarred face standing by the door, Dimitri and Maxim flanked behind him. Yuri sighed against his neck before reluctantly standing up to face the three intruders and frowning when he saw them.  
\- What are you doing here?   
Aaron smiled and sat down in one of the free chairs in the room before shrugging his shoulders.  
\- Aren't we allowed to come see how our favorite suicide photographer was doing?  
Aaron's almost mechanical smile made Akihito shudder, who answered with a hoarse voice, his throat still sore.  
\- I am fine.   
The Baxter containing the morphine must have been empty because his belly was still hurting him.   
Yuri frowned and stood up when a nurse entered the room and frowned when she saw the four men in the room and her grey eyes filled with fierce resolution as she pressed her fists to her hips.  
\- What are you doing here?! Visiting hours ended over two hours ago. The patient needs to rest, so get out!  
She pointed to the door and the three men left the room without asking for the rest, apparently not crazy enough to face an angry Russian woman, and Yuri kissed him on the forehead before whispering that he would be back the next morning, leaving him in the nurse's hands.   
  
  
Akihito looked at himself in the mirror, his fingers touching the pale scar on his flat belly, the last memory of the operation he had undergone two months earlier. He purred softly as hands rested on his hips and a firm, muscular chest pressed against his back, and Yuri whispered:  
\- You still have a very nice belly, don't worry about it.   
He doesn't, he remembered the argument they had after the operation on his ankle and knows that it's not just a scar that will make Yuri stop loving him.  
The lips that began to trace a kissing path along his neck made him sigh with well-being as his sex began to harden. More than a month without sexual relations because of the operation and Yuri's reluctance to hurt him - well, Akihito confessed that he found Yuri's concern for him touching - and the slightest touch that Yuri made that was a little too ambiguous was enough to awaken his libido.  
Akihito closed his eyes when his lover's hands lifted his shirt off his chest before they began to snake across his chest, his teeth gently biting the shell of his ear as one hand began to undo his trousers and pull them down, making the young man shudder with a needy groan.  
\- Slowly, моя любовь. I'm not going to leave you like this.  
The deep laughter of his lover against his ear only made it harder, helped by the hand that insinuated itself into his underpants to gently caress his sex, and Akihito made a heavy moan, throwing his head back against the chest of his lover, his hands clinging to the arm that held him firmly against the man as he moved his hips in rhythm with the slow caresses of Yuri whose hardness he felt pressing against his kidneys.   
He panting as Yuri teased the top of his sex with his thumb and unconsciously stretched, his feet tensing on the floor as his nails desperately scratched the arm of the tall man who added by biting his jaw, his teeth scratching the delicate bone under the tanned skin.  
\- Look at yourself in the mirror, you are so adorable, моя сексуальная лиса.  
Akihito blushed at the hot nickname Yuri liked to give him during their sexual activities and opened one eye before swallowing when he saw his reflection in the chest of drawers mirror. With red cheeks and breathless breath, his black eyes lingered on his lover who smiled slightly, his one eye shining with mischief and desire, a few strands of blond hair falling on his forehead while his shirt slightly unbuttoned let his pectorals show,   
Akihito moaned heavily when Yuri accelerated the rhythm and one of his hands flew up to the nape of the neck to cling to the man's neck :  
\- Me too... I want to see you...  
Yuri kissed him on the temple before answering, "After the visit the doctor, if he allows us to. "and Akihito shouted when his lover pressed his manhood slightly to make him come.  
With his legs weak and as shaky as his breath, Akihito let himself go against Yuri's chest and groaned softly as the man raised his chin with one hand to kiss him, his thumb caressing the curve of his jaw.  
\- Let's go, the sooner we get there the sooner you can see me naked.  
Akihito blushed and growled a "Oh, shut up! "before leaving Yuri's embrace to take off his pants that had come down to his ankles, and cleaned himself up before getting dressed and joining his lover in the lobby to leave for the hospital.   
The ringing of Akihito's phone broke the silence of the waiting room and, under the annoyed looks of some patients, hastened to answer before walking away under Yuri's attentive and curious gaze.  
\- Hello?   
\- You finally answer, unworthy son!  
Akihito ran a nervous hand through his hair and had a slight laugh before answering:  
\- Hello, Man. Sorry I haven't told you about me, I was quite busy.  
He had called his parents two weeks earlier to tell them about his cancer and promised to call them back. Except that he had forgotten to call them back, too busy taking advantage of his lover's attentions.   
\- We were worried. When can we come see you? Kou and Takato told us you live in Moscow now, why didn't you tell us?  
He signals Yuri to come closer so he can hear the conversation.  
\- I left because I couldn't stay in Japan anymore. I'll tell you everything when you come...  
He glanced at Yuri and shrugged his shoulders, meaning it didn't matter to him.   
\- How about next week, will that be okay?  
His mother's excited shout was his answer and after reassuring them about his health and his job, he hung up under the amused look of his lover who whispered in a low voice:  
\- "Your mother doesn't look so bad.  
\- She is much more terrible than she lets on.  
Ivanov's voice calling out to them came out of their meeting and the couple greeted the doctor before entering the office.   
\- Well, then let's start with the good news: Akihito, your cancer is quite benign so four big chemotherapy sessions over two months followed by a few small radiotherapy sessions over three months should be enough to get rid of it.   
The man stopped for a few seconds and then resumed with an amused look in his eyes:  
\- As far as the operation is concerned, according to the latest tests, your prostate has recovered just as well as the rest of your body, so I will allow you to work and do sports, but at the slightest sign of discomfort or pain I want you to stop and come back here. And take it easy at first, don't force your body too much as it recovers from a major operation.  
Akihito nodded his head, relieved and excited at the idea of being able to move again, his hand instinctively taking Yuri's hand to squeeze it, listening with distracted attention to Ivanov's advice and the dates for the chemotherapy and the course of the treatments. And from the operation he would have to undergo to implant the catheter in his chest, the news making Yuri and Akihito wince, he breathed a deep sigh of disappointment, already tired of the idea of another operation, no matter how tiny it would be.  
  
They returned in the evening, after a dinner at the Pushkin café, their minds fogged by alcohol but above all by desire and need. Hungry, Akihito wrapped his arms around Yuri's neck to lure him to him and kiss him as they groped around in the dark until they landed in the sofa, making Suna bark as he came down from it before fleeing to another room.   
\- You're heavy.   
Yuri grunted against his lips before whispering, his icy eye gleaming in the pale moonlight like a pale flame.  
\- Are you implying that I've put on weight?  
Teasingly, Akihito chuckled softly and began to fiddle with his lover's t-shirt before answering.  
\- We haven't played sports together for a while. Why don't you let me see that?  
Yuri laughed in turn before answering with amusement, his lips a few millimeters from his own:  
\- Do you want me to do a striptease while you're at it?   
Akihito purred as he let his hand wander along the man's muscular chest.  
\- Mmmh. Why not? I can imagine him with leather pants, a metal bar and good music. Will you put on a little show for my birthday?  
His proposal made his lover smile, who straightened up to take off his shirt, playing with his muscles on purpose to make the young man stuck underneath him salivate, a mocking smile on his lips.   
\- It will remain pretty dreams, моя любовь.   
Akihito made a pout and licked his lips while Yuri took off his pants and kissed him afterwards. The young man closed his eyes and pulled the man against him to warm himself up, his hands rising up along his chest before gently brushing his square jaw and plunging into the blond hair, taking it off, while Yuri's hands slipped under his shirt to take it off, their breaths mixing in the silence of the house.  
Yuri's lips traced a path along his throat to his scar to kiss it before whispering, his lips against his pale skin.  
\- My beautiful warrior.   
Akihito blushed slightly and let his hands cling to his lover's broad shoulders as he quickly took off his jeans and underwear, visibly as eager as he was to finally satisfy the painful need that ran through their veins and drove them crazy. He yelped as his lover bit his inner thighs, an amused smile on his lips as he gently licked the red mark he had left.  
The body trembling with need, Akihito gasped when he felt Yuri's finger touch his hole and moved his hips to encourage him to continue as ants seemed to run through his lower abdomen.   
\- Hurry up Yuri...  
His lover shook his head and straightened up, covering his body with hers before whispering in a low voice, his lips touching hers as his icy eye touched him.  
\- You're too impatient, моя любовь. I don't want to hurt you, and we have to take it slow.  
\- Then go get some lube.  
His aggressive tone made the man above him laugh and roll his hips to make him moan with pleasure and shut him up.  
\- And take me away from you? No. Let me savor you slowly.  
Akihito chuckled and closed his eyes as Yuri's finger carefully penetrated him, enduring the sensation of discomfort until his lover found his prostate and began to massage it, making him gasp with well-being as his dull fingernails sank into the hard pulpit of Yuri's shoulders. He spread his thighs to allow Yuri to better position himself between them and groaned when a second finger was added as teeth were stuck in his neck, the pain of the bite soothed by a warm tongue. Akihito bit his ear in retaliation, making his lover growl, who added a third finger and touched his prostate more strongly, making him scream with pleasure.   
Yuri finished preparing him and kissed him as he stood against his entrance, one of his hands lifting his injured leg to put it on his shoulder, before slowly penetrating him, being careful not to hurt him while he was purring sweet words in the hollow of his ear.  
Akihito stuck his hands in one of the sofa pillows when Yuri hit his prostate, making him scream with pleasure, his wet hair sticking to his forehead as his breathing became heavy and panting because of the craving and lust that made his head spin. His lover rose to his full height at the sound of his groans and raised his hips for a better angle of penetration, making him arch as the old man set a faster pace without being rough, the sounds of their skins sliding against each other and their moans echoing around the room. The young man closed his eyes as his lover lay on top of him, sealing their lips in a ferocious kiss as his arms wrapped around his waist to press his body against him and giving the friction necessary to soothe the young man's aching sex and make him cry with relief and well-being as the orgasm finally reaped him.  
He reopened his eyes when Yuri withdrew from him and kissed him gently before whispering in a low voice, as if not to risk breaking the bubble in which they were trapped:  
\- Satisfied, моя сексуальная сексуальная лиса?  
Their breaths mingled as Yuri spoke and Akihito nodded his head before grunting as his lover stood up, his skin glistening in the pale light of the moon and hair as tousled as his own, and disappeared into the kitchen before returning with two glasses of red wine. Akihito rose to take one as Suna joined him on the couch waving his tail, and raised his glass, exclaiming, a slight smile on his lips and his heart swollen with hope and determination.  
\- Fuck cancer!  
And Yuri smiled back, his icy eye shining with pride and love as they toasted.  
Akihito was nervously waiting for the arrival of his parents at the Moscow airport, Yuri leaning against the black SUV, telephone in his ear, smouldering with his pale blue eye, the plane that was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago still invisible on the horizon, the still painful chest from the operation he had had to undergo to have the catheter put in, leaving a fine scar and the relief of the catheter on his skin.  
Finally, the plane appeared in the clear morning sky and Akihito relaxed as Yuri joined him and put an arm around his shoulders, ready to support him, as tense as he was as the plane landed in a huge din and let out his stream of passengers after a few minutes of waiting.   
\- Akihito! My darling boy!  
The young man left Yuri as he joined his mother who ran towards him, his long light brown hair dyed black flying behind her, and let her hug him, grimaced in pain when she unintentionally pressed on the catheter.  
\- Easy, Mom!  
Her mother pushed him away almost immediately, her brown eyes looking at him with a mixture of anxiety and love, tears of happiness making them shine.  
\- Sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?  
\- A little, it's all right, don't worry.  
Akihito reassured his mother with a smile and turned to his father, a man in his forties with fine features and black hair speckled with white and light green eyes tending towards blue.   
\- Hi Dad, how are you doing?  
The man smiled slightly at him, his dark eyes looking at him as if he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and hugged him gently before whispering in a low voice :  
\- Better than my son sounds.   
His father moved away from him to look at Yuri who stood two meters away from them, a discreet shadow leaving them to their reunion.  
\- And who's the man with you?  
Akihito motioned to his lover to come closer and presented them, a touch of anxiety pinching his heart.  
\- Yuri, this is my mother, Etsuko, and my father, Ari. Dad, Mom, this is Yuri, my companion.  
Not lover, not boyfriend or pal. Companion. His companion. Yuri smiled lightly and greeted his parents politely despite the obvious shock on his mother's face, who immediately closed and coldly shook the Russian's hand.  
\- Let's go, I can't wait to show you the house.  
Akihito hijacked the conversation as they got into the car and told them about the city, his work, Suna, and reassured them about his cancer, unaware as best he could of the tension Yuri was feeling, his hand resting on his in a clumsy attempt to reassure him.  
When he arrived home, Yuri left them to prepare the meal, letting him show his parents around the house and tell them about the thorny subject they had been avoiding until now. Akihito took them to the guest room at one end of the hallway and sat on the bed while his mother closed the door behind them with pursed lips.   
\- Akihito...tell me this is a joke. A very bad joke.  
The young man bit his lips, a mixture of guilt, anger and fear swirling in his chest in front of his mother's collapsed look. His father, silent, seemed to be waiting to react to his wife's future words. He, who was French-Japanese and had lived part of his life in Europe, was the more reasonable and open-minded of the two, not caring much for the Japanese norms that had led his mother to marry young, to stop working after her pregnancy and to dye her hair black in order to join the ranks.  
\- No, Mom, it's not a joke. Yuri has been my companion for over two years now. And...  
He didn't have time to finish his tirade when his mother looked up to heaven and clapped her hands on his hips, looking scandalized.  
\- How can my son go out with a man?! What did I miss in your upbringing Akihito? Why can't you find a nice, pretty girl to marry and give me grandchildren?  
Akihito gritted his teeth as he clenched his jaws, anger taking precedence over guilt and fear, and straightened up before belching in a low voice so he wouldn't scream like his mother.  
\- I'm going out with him because I love him, Mom. Believe me, I didn't ask for this to happen, falling in love with a man. But it happened and Yuri is someone who treats me well and would kill for me if I asked him to. And I don't really care what you think of him because without him my body would be swimming with the fish in Tokyo Bay for a long time.  
Akihito caught his breath before adding in front of his mother's silence.   
\- So please, I'm not asking you to love him but just to be polite and courteous. And no, you won't be a grandmother, sorry to hear that I am not obliged to provide you with grandchildren.  
He walked up to the door and opened it before adding more coldly:  
\- I will not leave Yuri, Mom. And if you become a thorn in our relationship, then I'll cut you off. I'll let you get settled in.  
With his hands shaking with adrenaline and blood beating in his temples, the young man joined Yuri in the kitchen and sat on one of the high stools at the bar, watching his companion cook a chicken with champagne.   
\- You want to get a drink to pass that on?   
\- Nah, I'm good. I'm sorry about my mom's behavior.  
His lover only smiled slightly as he let the chicken cook and hugged it. Akihito buried his face against the man's chest and closed his eyes before the man whispered.  
\- You don't have to apologize, моя любовь. You are not responsible for your parents' behavior.   
They stepped aside when they heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and an uncomfortable silence settled in when Etsuko and Ari arrived, his father glaring at his mother who seemed slightly embarrassed.  
\- What is your job, Yuri?  
His mother tried to smile as Yuri pulled out glasses before answering, glaring at him to make sure he still agreed with what they had said.  
\- I'm a leader of an international criminal organization.   
Under the stunned faces of his parents, Akihito served them in Nama Biru before waving to them to follow him to the living/dining room opposite the kitchen, his mother taking advantage of the opportunity to glare at him.  
\- Okay... And how old are you?  
Akihito returned to the kitchen to set the table, his entrails twisting as the tension between his mother and Yuri increased.  
\- I'm 45 years old.   
It wasn't going to be okay. Akihito saw his father whispering something to his mother, no doubt an unsuccessful attempt to calm his wife who, by the look of his gestures, was very clearly upset.  
\- Where is the toilet?  
\- Upstairs. Second door on the left.  
His mother left the living room abruptly without giving them a glance and quickly climbed the stairs, making Ari sigh and take his glass of beer for a sip.  
\- I'm really sorry for Etsuko's behaviour. We'll leave tomorrow.   
His father smiled softly at him and motioned for her to sit down next to him before whispering in a low voice.  
\- I'm happy that you've found someone who makes you happy, Akihito. Even though he's my age and he's a criminal a la Don Vito Corleone.   
He took a look at Yuri who was preparing the plates, and Akihito knew that despite his detached appearance, his companion was listening and was ready to intervene if things got out of hand.   
\- Your mother will eventually accept your choice, give her some time. In the meantime, ignore her.  
His father's reassuring smile made him smile back and the young man thoughtfully stroked the area where the catheter was before his father leaned over to him, his green eyes shining with curiosity :  
\- Tell me about you two then, how's it going?  
\- Well, Yuri's been treating me like a king since I've been sick. Right, грубый наш?  
His companion put the plates in front of them and smiled slightly before answering:  
\- I always treat you like a king, инсолированный гамин.  
He buzzed with contentment when Yuri kissed him before sitting down, deliberately ignoring the arrival of Etsuko who sat silently at the table, looking dull, and, to Akihito's great relief, dinner went relatively well if we forget Etsuko's icy, stubborn silence.  
  
Akihito hugged his father as the plane that was going to bring his parents back waited on the runway, with the staff filling the inside of the plane with suitcases and bags for the passengers.  
\- Keep me informed of your condition, okay?  
\- Will do.  
His father smiled at him as he cut his face and whispered in a low voice so that neither Yuri nor Etsuko could hear him, his eyes shining with pride.  
\- You've made a good choice in choosing Yuri. Your eyes shine every time you look at each other and I'm glad he's there to support you, especially now.  
\- He always is.  
He closed his eyes when his father kissed him on the forehead before releasing him and shaking Yuri's hand, warning him that he had better take care of his son, and join his wife who was eagerly waiting for him in the line forming in front of the plane.   
Akihito would lie if his mother's reaction did not hurt him even though he had expected it despite the hope that had cradled him, and his mother's rejection hurt him all the more since she had not looked at him since the day before and had not said goodbye.   
With a heavy chest, the young man shuddered when Yuri pulled him against his chest and kissed him on the top of his head before whispering as the plane began to roll along the runway.  
\- It's going to be okay, моя любовь. Don't bother with that. I'm right here. I'm right here.   
And the young man closed his eyes and rested in his companion's embrace as the plane finally took off and disappeared into the stormy sky.  



	3. Chapter 3

Yuri was chopping pieces of carrots when the front door opened, the intruder's heavy and nonchalant footsteps telling him that it wasn't his young companion but rather Aaron.  
\- Aren't you supposed to be making a deal with our Ukrainian partner?   
\- Our partner got here early, so I finished my day and I'm here to kindly report back to you.  
The voice of his youngest son rang out in the hallway and Aaron soon joined him in the kitchen, one of his hands carelessly picking an apple from the fruit basket before exclaiming softly.  
\- Isn't Akihito here?  
Yuri shrugged his shoulders as he added the carrots to the Bolognese sauce he was making and retorted by putting the pasta in boiling water with Suna's truffle stuck to his thigh. The old man knew without even seeing him that the dog was giving him his puppy-dog eyes, that his ears had to be pricked up and that his tail was wagging gently on the tiled floor.  
\- Dimitri and Alexei wanted to take him to see some friends of theirs, so that he could make friends in the city. Apart from the members of the organization.  
He carelessly gave a carrot to Suna who ripped it out of his hands so that he could settle down in his basket and eat his carrot in peace.   
\- What about his chemo? How far along is she?   
\- He should start his first session tomorrow.  
Yuri felt his hand clench on the wooden spoon as he thought about all the possible side effects the chemo would have on his partner. Aaron nodded his head as he bit into the apple again before blowing.  
\- He's strong: he'll heal. To get back to work, you'd have to go to Germany for a day or two to sign a contract with a weapons company. And one of the drug cartels in Brazil is going after the guys that make our guns, they need our help.   
\- Go to Brazil with a hundred men and the boat. Kill the cartel members, teach the others not to stick their noses in our business. And compensate our guys for the inconvenience.  
Better to hold gunrunners and drug suppliers by royalties and gratitude than by terror and blood.  
Aaron nodded his head thoughtfully before throwing his apple core in the trash and distractedly stroking Suna's head.  
\- When are you coming back to work?  
\- In a few days, when I'm sure I can leave Akihito alone.  
The front door opened again and his lover's voice echoed through the house.  
\- I'm home!  
Aaron whispered a slight "I'm leaving you. I guess you won't be coming tomorrow, so I'll see you soon. " and left the kitchen, greeting Akihito in passing.  
Yuri sighed, annoyed at the thought of having to go to Germany and leave his lover while he was still recovering from chemo. His thoughts went out of his head as his lover's skinny arms wrapped around his waist and a head and torso leaned against his back.  
\- What makes you sigh like that? Did Aaron give you bad news?  
Yuri turned off the stove before turning around to hug his lover and bury his face in his medium-long hair, smiling as he noticed the roots beginning to blacken.  
\- I will soon have to leave for Germany, for one or two days. Maybe more.  
His lover shrugged his shoulders as he buried his face against his chest and then responded softly.  
\- I'll be all right. If it worries you that much, I can go back to one of the mansions. I'll even let you assign me a guard.  
Yuri smiled slightly, moved by his lover's proposal, and breathed in his scent before whispering after a few seconds.  
\- If you don't mind, I'd prefer it. You'll go to the Arbatov mansion and I'll give you a guard, the one you prefer.   
They disengaged from each other when the water overflowed from the pan and Akihito hastily lowered the temperature before yawning, visibly exhausted from his day.  
\- Dimitri or Alexei. You'll come home soon, promise?  
Yuri quickly set the table while his companion joined him with full plates, a new yawn escaping him. His little tiger would end up falling asleep on his pasta at this pace.  
\- I promise. Why don't you tell me about your outing instead.  
His lover had stopped working after his chest operation, too tired from surgery and illness to continue photojournalism, and he now spent part of his time comatose, sometimes interspersed with a sudden surge of energy that lasted a few hours.  
\- We went for a drink at a café where one of Alexei's friends was giving a concert. They asked me to go to a nightclub next week, do you want to come?   
Yuri smiled softly at his lover, reassured by his blue eyes that sparkled with hope and good humour and made him forget these last weeks of anguish.  
\- Maybe not, nightclubs are not my thing. But I'm glad you're making new friends, it'll do you good to be able to spend time with other people.  
Anything to distract his lover from his illness. Yuri smiled softly at him and added when he saw the sulky pout his lover was making: "Okay, I'll go with you. But I warn you, I don't dance. "Yuri could not help but laugh slightly when Akihito responded with a tired yawn, leaving his cutlery in his empty plate.  
\- Do you want to go to bed?  
His young companion nodded his head and distractedly caressed Suna's head who had put it on his lap, whispering that he preferred to watch TV with him. He let his lover settle down in the sofa and choose their TV program while he tidied the table and joined him a few minutes later under the soft plaids, pulling his companion's small, supple body against his own, his companion's head resting on his shoulder as Suna huddled up against him.   
  
The smell of disinfectant and medicine caught his throat as he followed Ivanov and Akihito to a large room where the chemotherapy would take place, the annoying buzzing of doctors and machines irritated him.   
Yuri sighed and rubbed his still sore neck after their improvised night on the couch, before running a hand through the blond hair of his outstretched lover as the doctor pointed to two armchairs, letting them settle down as he left to fetch the chemo equipment.   
\- Would you like something to eat or drink?  
They would be here for several hours after all. Yuri put down the bag containing the Switch and the 3DS he had bought for his companion and Akihito smiled at him, a gleam of nervousness and anxiety shining in his eyes.  
\- I will, thank you.   
Yuri kissed on the lips before whispering softly:  
\- I'll be back soon. Be good with the doctor.  
\- I won't bite him, I promise.   
Waiting, the old man left his lover to go to the hospital store, ignoring the excited murmurs of the two cashiers who looked at him intently to concentrate on what he was going to bring back to his companion. While the choice of drink had been easy, the coldest bottle of Coca-Cola he could find, the choice of what to offer him to eat had proved more difficult, and Yuri found himself hesitating for several minutes between cookies, chocolates and packages of chips.   
\- Can I help you, sir?  
One of the cashiers approached him with a bright smile on her face, her doe eyes full of charm and interest, one of her hands playing carelessly with one of her locks falling on his chest. Yuri concentrated on all the sweets on the shelves, the woman's behaviour reminding him of the prostitutes who hung out with Mikhail.   
\- Of all these things, which one do you prefer?   
\- I don't really know, I prefer chocolate. Who's it for?  
He stretched himself as he felt the woman approach him until he grazed him and Yuri scolded annoyed, annoyed by the woman's behavior.  
\- My companion. Is there any way to get an assortment?  
His lover will undoubtedly love to have the choice between several of those sweets he loved so much. The woman lowered her head and stepped aside, visibly hurt by the dryness of her voice, and whispered in a low voice:  
\- I don't think so.   
Never mind. Yuri took a few chocolate and vanilla-filled cookies and a few chocolate bars and paid before he found his companion playing Switch, the infusion tube disappearing under his shirt, the chemical and toxic liquid plunging into his chest and dispersing as the young man's calm heartbeat wore on.   
For a moment, this image had a troubled echo in the man's memory, and the memory of a woman holding a bowl to protect her chained husband from the venom of a snake crossed his mind.  
He felt like the woman in the myth, trying to help his companion in his torment as best he could, and powerless to remove him from it.   
\- You want to play?  
His eye met his lover's azure eyes and Yuri felt his heart miss a beat when he saw their almost serene placidity, as if he didn't care what was happening.   
\- Don't you dare mock me then.  
\- I won't.  
The luminous smile and the teasing gleam in his young lover's eyes pulled an invisible weight from the shoulders of the man who took the Switch as Akihito took the bag from his hands, fumbling with excitement through the different products he had bought to pick up a few and start eating them, his face leaning against his shoulder to watch him play, sometimes commenting on what he was doing, his lips sometimes opening into a smile that revealed his white teeth, as bright as his eyes were.   
The session was almost over and Akihito had fallen asleep against his shoulder when a noise in the corridor caught Yuri's attention. Carefully, Yuri pushed his lover's head back, making sure not to wake him in the process, and walked out of the room under the blasé gaze of the nurses, whoreturned to their discussions as the other patients looked at him attentively, visibly happy with a semblance of distraction.  
It took Yuri a few seconds to check the long corridor and see a group of men dressed in black, one of whom, recognizable among all, was calmly chatting with one of the angry doctors.   
Annoyed by the commotion and the presence of the mafia in the hospital, Yuri silently approached the doctor to listen to the astonishing subject of the argument, and coughed after a few seconds to signal his presence. The doctor froze as a pair of golden-brown orbs stood in his own while a slight smile blossomed on the owner's thin lips.  
\- Hello Yuri, how are you? Can you explain to this brave doctor that I can see Akihito?  
The doctor turned to him and the old man nodded gently, reassuring him of the presence of the stranger who was strutting around his hospital. The man in the white coat sighed and walked away, giving the two men one last dark look.  
\- What are you doing here, Fei Long?  
Yuri's icy eye fell on the large bouquet of multicolored flowers that the man was carrying and the old man felt his hair stand up as the Kiss leader responded softly, his group of men moving away to give them some privacy.  
\- I wondered why I hadn't heard from Akihito, and I recently learned that he had been having health problems.  
Yuri crossed his arms on his chest and scolded back, his feet tingling to find his sleeping and abandoned lover, Fei Long looking at him with sincere concern.  
\- And it is only for him that you are coming?  
\- For work too. I have some business I'd like to do with you. In the meantime,can I see him?  
Yuri sighed at the man's almost begging tone and motioned to follow him before whispering, his hand on the doorknob.  
\- He's asleep. Don't wake him up.  
Fei Long nodded his head and followed him into the room, his eyes widening at the sight of the sleeping young man who was lighter-skinned than usual, and Yuri ripped the bouquet from his hands and placed it on a coffee table.  
\- What's this all about?  
The Chinese man took one of the unoccupied chairs to sit gracefully next to him and Yuri ran a hand through the soft hair of his lover who sighed in his sleep before whispering something incomprehensible.  
\- Prostate cancer. He's going to be all right.   
Once again, he felt a whiff of pride go through him and a slight smile bloomed on his lips before Fei Long nodded and added gently.   
\- Knowing him, he's going to come through this with flying colors.   
There was a moment of silence before Fei Long added, seeing one of the nurses approaching to remove Akihito's tubes.  
\- I'll leave you two alone. I'm glad he's by your side through this ordeal. Oh and, I'll probably get in touch with him later.  
The man left them and Yuri discussed for a few minutes with the nurse about the next appointments and the possible side effects that Akihito might have before waking up his lover who made a half sleepy, half cranky pout.  
\- Let's go, моя любовь.   
His lover nodded weakly, his eyes misty with sleep noticing the bouquet of flowers on the coffee table, and whispered in an almost surprised voice.  
\- You bought me flowers?   
\- Gift from Fei Long, he's going to be in town for a while.   
His companion stretched out before getting up and taking the flowers and inspecting them for a few seconds.  
\- That's nice of him. Maybe I'll go see him sometime.  
His lover's blue eyes focused on him again, the flowers completely forgotten as he put one hand on his arm for support, and Yuri rushed to put his arm around his waist to help him stand, a wave of anxiety gripping him.  
\- You'll be back from Germany soon, won't you?  
Was it because he had just woken up or was it because of the treatment that his companion seemed so weak? How could he leave when his lover was going to need him in the next few days? Was he going to be all right? What if his men took their stain too laxly and something happened to his lover? Yuri pushed his fears to the back of his mind and gently caressed his lover's hip with his thumb before whispering, planting his iceberg blue eye into the sky blue eye of his little blond lover.  
\- I'll be home as soon as possible. I promise you that.   
He bent down to gently kiss his lover, the arms of the latter wrapping around his neck, sealing that solemn promise, as a nurse arrived with a wheelchair, her eyes full of compassion.   
Yuri thanked her with a gesture of the head and helped his companion to sit down before gently blowing close to his ear, not wanting others to hear them.  
\- I won't leave until I'm sure my sexy fox can spend a few days without me.   
He felt a smile lifting the corner of his lips as his lover blushed furiously and growled wildly, his eyes still shining with amusement.  
\- And I'm the one being called a pervert? You're the one who can't spend a few days without me.  
Yuri smiled and kissed the head of his lover before pushing him into the crowded corridors of the hospital, in a hurry to leave this place that made him uncomfortable.  
\- Vile flatterer. Invite me to a restaurant before you keep me in bed for the night. I'm starving.   
\- Anything for you, моя любовь.   
He could offer his lover this pleasure, especially since he was going to leave him alone for a few days. Once again, his worries gripped his chest and Yuri shook his head to chase away his dark thoughts, and the feeling of his companion's soft, frail hand on his helped him to relax as his voice echoed in the silence of the cabin.   
\- Hey, it's all right, your men will look out for me. You don't have to worry so much.  
His lover's confidence made him smile and Yuri took his lover's hand in his, refocusing on the road as he thought about Fei Long and the business he would have to settle in Germany, the cogs of his brain spinning to see how he could get the best deals possible.  
  
  
Akihito opened a tired eye as he felt the heat source pressing on his belly recede and glimpsed his lover slowly rising in the heavy darkness of the room.   
The young man moved slightly to position himself more comfortably, his body furrowed and painful from their passionate night, and smiled when Yuri turned his head towards him, his icy eye shining in the shadows staring at him with a slight anxiety.  
\- You should get some rest, моя любовь.   
Akihito shrugged one shoulder, his mind still foggy with sleep, and watched his lover get dressed under the ethereal light of the moon's rays that managed to seep through the curtains.   
\- Are you leaving so early?  
It was not the custom of his companion to leave before the sun was up. He usually preferred to spend as much time in bed with him as possible. Yuri smiled slightly and approached him, his shirt still half unbuttoned, revealing the scratches and bites that the young man had left behind during their fiery lovemaking.   
\- The sooner I get to Germany, the sooner I'll be back. Go back to sleep, I'll soon be back to serve you as a kettle.   
Akihito smiled at the remark of the man who kissed him chastely before wrapping him in the sheets, his smell and the light caresses of his fingers in his hair put the young man in a state of drowsiness, His hearing picked up for the first time the footsteps and whispers that betrayed the already nascent activity in the mansion despite the late hour, as well as the sounds of Suna's claws on the floor, the Australian shepherd surely begging for a walk, even if it was night-time.   
Too early for his liking, Yuri stepped away from him with a last kiss on his forehead and left the room at wolf's pace, followed by Suna, and heard him scold something to men making noise in the corridor, probably a reminder that many people were still asleep.   
Moaning at the loss of his kettle and the pain that was his body, the young man cowered in the huge bed and grabbed Yuri's pillow to pull it against him and bury his face in it, finally letting sleep catch up with him and plunge him into a world of darkness and restless dreams.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody! I hope you're doing well :) As promised, the last chapter of this extra which is almost 30 pages long ! So, the last chapter of Secret of a Hidden Love will probably be released at the end of next week ^^
> 
> This story was inspired by a friend of my parents' and an aunt's who both developed breast cancer and are true warriors who can co
> 
> WARNING : Small note at the end to not spoil the story ;)

Yuri was in a foul mood. For three _fucking_ weeks he was stuck in Germany because of a bunch of morons who thought they could block them in that damn country and force them to give in and accept the outrageous prices for their weapons. Three weeks they were stuck in a house in downtown Berlin. And the man was beginning seriously to think about mass murder in the weapons factory to teach them to test its limits to that extent.  
The only thing that could put him in a good mood were Akihito's calls, giving him news about his second chemo, Suna and life at the mansion, and the photos he regularly sent him, showing his evenings with his henchmen and their companions or his return from the barbershop, with his hair cut short, almost to the bone, and, for once, in its natural color.  
\- What do we do, Yuri?  
The old man came out of his thoughts to the voice of Ivan who was having lunch next to him, Maxim, Nikolai looking at them silently, a dark look on their faces. They too were in a hurry to get home.   
\- We'll have to do it the hard way: we take some of their family members hostage and threaten them. Nikolai and Maxim, you each take a few men and take care of this. Ivan, you stay with me for the lunch meeting.  
His men nodded their heads and Yuri abandoned his lunch to go back to his room and get ready for the meeting, his eyes reflexively looking at his phone to see if Akihito had sent him something, before his fingers slipped on the screen to see the more intimate photos his lover had sent him, a vague smile escaping him as he imagined his reunion with him, this simple idea enough to make his sex hard.   
Sighing, Yuri sat down on his bed and turned on his computer to read the reports his men had sent him, mentally cursing such incompetents. At least Aaron had just arrived in Brazil and would soon be cleaning up these wretched cartels. It was up to him to finish his part of the job so he could find his beloved companion and get Fei Long away from him.

Yuri sat in the leather armchair in the meeting room, his cold eyes sweeping across the European city, a pleasant feeling of power running through his spine. He imagined for a moment taking Akihito to the top of one of those skyscrapers with the excitement of perhaps being seen by someone, and shook his head when Ivan joined him and coughed to get his attention, his phone in his hands.  
\- Our guys are ready and the Germans will be here soon.   
Yuri nodded his head and turned the chair to face the meeting table, his brain wandering back to his lover, imagining taking him on the table, making him sit on his lap to feed him those sweet and creamy pastries he would surely love. The Russian came back to earth when he saw their German suppliers arrive, a victorious look on their miserable faces, their heavy footsteps resonating in the corridor and enough to irritate him.  
\- So, Mr. Arbatov, you finally accept our prices?   
Yuri didn't answer right away, his blue eyes imprinting the image of those five pigs looking at him with contempt and full of complacency, convinced that he had finally worn him down and unaware that they obviously had a bloodthirsty beast in front of them.  
\- You know, gentlemen, I'm sure you have wives and children. I myself have a very sick companion who demands my presence at his side and I abhor this feeling of impotence.  
He fell silent for a moment, letting his words penetrate their narrow brains, before resuming in a less gentle and more serious tone, Ivan putting his telephone in front of him.  
\- That's why I'm offering you one last chance before you experience a feeling far worse than impotence.  
Yuri pressed the button to turn on the IPhone and straightened it up to show what the screen was displaying, an evil joy overwhelming him when he saw the faces of the men before him turn a sickly white as their mouths distorted in horror and their eyes widened in fear and anxiety.  
\- Vater!  
\- Louise!  
One of the men stood up when he saw his frightened daughter tied to a chair, surrounded by the wives and some of the men's children, a look of dread on her fat face as Nikolai, holding his own telephone, pointed to the tables covered with torture tools.   
\- What do you want?!  
The old man remained silent for a few seconds, savoring the exquisite taste of terror like a tiger would savor the terror of its prey before killing it and tasting the warm blood and tender flesh. 

\- Very simple. I want my weapons. And since I'm holding your loved ones hostage, I want triple the amount of weapons I asked for and I want them for free. And by tomorrow. Otherwise, I won't be able to ensure the integrity of your loved ones.  
As if to support his words, Maxim, who had remained off-camera until then, approached one of the women and purred a "I know some men who would very much like to make a married woman. " in Russian as he tore her clothes off with a knife, revealing a fat belly, distorted by pregnancy, and flabby pear-shaped breasts, making the woman scream in terror and make a few other hostages sob.  
He turned off the phone as one of the men shouted his wife's name, probably with the intention of comforting her, and stood up, grabbing his cane before blowing gently.  
\- If I were you, I'd hurry.  
Yuri didn't have the patience to wait another day. He needed to find his companion, take him in his arms and bury his face in his soft hair to breathe in the smell, to feel it warm and keep away the freezing cold that gripped him.   
Ivan followed him silently, a slight smile on his lips as they left the room to take the elevator, visibly happy at the idea of terrorizing children he couldn't stand, his olive green eyes gazing tenderly at the background of his phone screen which displayed a picture of his daughter. Yuri couldn't help laughing at the sight and gently teased him as they got into their car to join their colleagues.  
\- How can a hardened, child-hating bachelor like you melt like that for a little girl?  
The man had a slight giggle before answering, his eyes finally letting go of his phone to look at it, a slight smile on his lips as his olive orbs stared at him seriously.  
\- Because she's my daughter, that's why. Like you with Akihito: you can't stand insolent and extroverted young people, yet that doesn't stop you from loving her. You have to believe that this kid really has something special to attract you like a moth to a light.  
\- I guess God decided to put him in my way for a good reason.  
Yuri unconsciously put his hand to the cross he wore around his neck as his thoughts turned back to his companion and smiled as he thought about what had attracted him to the young man, when he was only following him to find a good opportunity to take him away for revenge.   
But God had other plans for them: He had made him see the diamond that the boy was and had harassed him with visions during his nights, until he gave in and submitted to the Lord's designs and realized the well-being that Akihito was giving him. And now, it would seem that He had decided to test his love for the young man through this ordeal.   
\- Did you go back to religion? It's been a long time since you carried your cross...  
\- I've never really stopped... But for now, I like to have my cross with me.  
And Ivan smiled, understanding his unconscious need to reassure himself, as they finally arrived at the building where they were keeping their hostages.

Akihito waited impatiently for Yuri's return, his feet guiding him aimlessly in the mansion under the amused looks of the women and men present.   
\- Akihito, if you keep walking like that you'll end up making a hole in the ground.   
Suna wagged his tail when the young man stopped at Alexei's remark and Akihito sighed before sitting down in one of the sofas, his Australian shepherd lying joyfully against him and asking for caresses with his muzzle.   
\- Yuri was supposed to arrive this morning.   
The young man pursed his lips as he dipped his fingers into the soft fur of the beast next to him to relieve his stress. The ink-haired Russian sat in an armchair next to him, his dark eyes resting on the television that showed Russian cartoons for Ivan's daughter Alyona, who was sleeping in the arms of Maxim's pregnant wife Natalia.   
The young woman with long brown hair and hazelnut eyes turned her head towards him and frowned her delicate eyebrows as her hand stroked the hair of the little girl lying on top of her.  
\- Didn't he send you a message to warn you of a potential delay?  
Akihito shook his head negatively and Alexei retorted in a dull voice, more attentive to television than to conversation.  
\- Maybe they're driving home, I thought I heard that the arms shipment was bigger than expected, maybe they're late because of that.  
The young man glanced around in the hope that he had received some message from his companion and felt his frustration increase at the lack of response to his messages. It had been a week since Yuri had heard from him. What if something had happened in Germany? Or what if the shipment had been stolen? It would have been a long time ago that we would have warned them if anything serious had happened...  
\- Get some rest. Waiting for him won't do any good. Do you want something to eat?  
\- That's okay, I'll help myself.   
Akihito got up to leave the living room, his bare feet slipping silently on the floor, the clatter of his claws following him like his own shadow as he went to the kitchen to make himself a cocoa butter sandwich, his dull blue eyes gazing at the messages they had sent each other and at the suggestive photos of Yuri. Maybe he could listen to one of his companion's voice messages to relieve himself and get some sleep.   
The young man felt his cheeks blush as he remembered the nights he had spent on the phone with his companion, the many times when, excited and missing each other, they had ended up putting their hands in their pants and whispering what they would do when they found each other again.   
Distance was not good for them. The black-haired boy put his knife in the dishwasher and slowly returned to his room, his heartbeat quickening as he climbed the stairs, his breathing becoming more labored as sudden fatigue fell on him. Fucking cancer.   
Collapsing on the huge bed in his room, Akihito slowly caught his breath as he remembered that he only had one more chemo to do and a slight smile brushed his lips as he thought about his idea that he would soon be able to implement. He was just hoping that the result would be what he imagined and that Yuri would like it. A shiver of excitement seized him as he thought of the man's likely reaction and his hand flew to his phone which he grabbed distractedly to turn on one of Yuri's voice messages and closed his eyes as he listened to the Russian's low-pitched, purring voice, imagining his presence near him and Suna, sleep taking him away without him even realizing it.

  
He was awakened by Suna's groans and the sensation of a cold, wet nose pressed against his face and the unpleasant feeling of being watched. Akihito opened his eyes to see the head of his Australian shepherd against his face, his big blue eyes as clear as a winter sky staring at him enamored as his body swayed to the rhythm of his tail.  
Akihito ran a hand through his short, spiky hair, his eyes slowly getting used to the light of the astronomical dawn's navy blue light that flooded the room before settling on his phone, a burst of hope that made his heart leap in his chest before being annihilated when he saw that he still hadn't answered it.   
In a moody mood, the young man hurried down the stairs, the familiar sound of cutlery banging against the ceramic reaching him and the hum of the microwave. The almost heavy silence of the manor turned his stomach and the young man approached the kitchen to see Dimitri and Alexei eating prepared meals, the first visibly exhausted from his night's work and the other busy on his telephone. Akihito discreetly walked towards the veranda to leave them alone, knowing that Dimitri and Alexei would try to follow him if they saw him, and closed his eyes when the cool dawn wind whipped him, Suna running happily around him before disappearing into the orchard in a clash of leaves and broken branches.   
Akihito sat down on one of the benches, enjoying the spectacle of the stars disappearing in the navy blue sky, the fresh air almost freezing his lungs and reminding him of those nights when he was waiting to take pictures of the traffic, hidden with his camera on the roofs of the city, the painful pulsations coming from his injured ankle not enough to spoil his almost nostalgic mood.  
\- They'll be here in five minutes normally.   
Dimitri's voice drew him out of his thoughts and the young man watched him sit beside him, his eyes looking distractedly at Suna diving into the groves and barking to frighten the rodents and birds.  
\- Did Yuri talk to you?   
Akihito glanced at his phone, wondering if he might have missed any messages or calls, but there was nothing and Akihito felt a wave of anger grab him in the face of his companion's silence before Dimitri whistled, tapping his thigh as if to soothe him.  
\- No, it was Ivan. He warned Ielena so she could tell her daughter.   
He was going to kill Yuri when he got back. No. First he'd fuck him and then he'd kill him.   
\- How's it going with Ielena? When are you getting married?  
The wedding that was planned for May, a year and five months ago, had to be postponed due to the death of Ielena's mother and inheritance problems between her and her sisters, real harpies if he believed the stories he had been told. Dimitri smiled softly, apparently talking about his girlfriend was enough to invigorate him and put him in a good mood.   
\- She's well, she's finishing the wedding preparations. She would like us to get married this April.  
A month from now. Dimitri got up when he heard the squealing of the gravel and the rumbling of the car engines and Akihito called Suna to come back to his feet and the duo started walking towards the driveway.  
\- I think she wanted us to get married at the end of April to make sure you'll be fit for the ceremony.   
Akihito smiled at the Russian's confidence and replied with a slight "I'll come to your wedding even if I'm on the verge of death. "before stopping near the car that had just parked and crossing his arms on his chest, his foot hitting the ground nervously.  
The first to get out were Maxim and Ivan, who sped inside the mansion as if they had the devil at their back, visibly happy to be reunited with the women of their lives, followed by Nikolai and, finally, Yuri, whose icy eyes almost glowed in the pale light of dawn.  
\- I'll leave you, I'll let the others know you've arrived.  
Dimitri left them alone and Akihito squinted his eyes as Yuri approached him, his heart beating with rage and desire at the same time, his eyes not being able to stop checking the man and worrying about a potential injury.  
\- I missed you, моя любовь.  
\- I would have missed you less if you had called me this week.   
His companion stood a few steps away from him, his icy eyes staring at him in a mixture of tender amusement and vague apprehension, making the young man wonder if anything serious had happened during that month of separation.  
\- I have been enormously busy this week, it has taken time for our suppliers to make our weapons and we have had to keep them under pressure.

Akihito wanted to protest, to ask Yuri if "keeping suppliers under pressure" prevented him from sending him a simple message, but the man joined him in two strides and hugged him, his lips pressing gently against his own, and Akihito felt a shiver go through him as he realized he was frozen.   
The dark-haired boy pressed himself against the man's warm body, deciding that he could take advantage of the kiss and the hand in his hair before he began to pout at his lover again.   
\- Go get dressed, I'm taking you somewhere. You can pout at me if you want afterwards.   
Akihito hesitated for a few seconds, surprised by Yuri's hurried and enthusiastic tone of voice, which seemed to have as much trouble containing himself as a child ready to unwrap his gifts, before he changed his mind and obeyed Yuri's orders obediently, leaving him at the mercy of a Suna overexcited by the return of his master.

\- Where are we going?  
Akihito lifted his orange scarf to cover part of his face, trembling with cold despite the thick layers of clothing he had wrapped himself in, his azure eyes looking at the Moscow buildings in the business district that had been parading past them for a few minutes, wondering for a moment why Yuri had made such a long detour just to go to the business district.  
\- We're there now.  
The car stopped in front of a huge glass tower that reminded him of the Presidential Hotels in the Hotel board game, and Akihito followed Yuri inside, barely noticing that the glass doors were already open, his hands clinging to the Russian's arm as his eyes tried to see through the heavy and threatening darkness of the place, the only audible sound being the squealing of their soles on the cold marble floor, until they entered an elevator whose light almost hurt his eyes.   
Akihito leaned against his lover to soothe the pain in his ankle, still wondering what could make his partner so nervous and excited at the same time, feeling the many glances the man was giving him and the discreet smiles at the corners of his lips.  
\- Will you take me to enjoy the sunrise while having lunch?  
\- How'd you guess?  
The young man shuddered as he felt the giant shape of his partner leaning over him to whisper against his ear in a low, deep purr that hardened his sex, fingers brushing his neck giving him goose bumps. How could he have been so desperate for the man?   
The lips tracing kisses along his neck made him moan and Akihito closed his eyes, letting Yuri's hands support him as he moved his head to give him more skin to nibble on, a purr of contentment escaping him.  
Akihito opened one eye to see the numbers slowly scrolling by, the elevator probably taking them to the top of the glass tower, and he tried to push Yuri away, knowing full well that if he let the man continue, they would end up making love in the elevator. And only the gods knew when they would have the strength to break away from each other.   
His lover slowly moved away from him, his icy eyes staring at him with such burning desire that Akihito felt his face turn red and his blood concentrate a little more in his crotch, the pale eyes of the young man not being able to turn away from his companion leaning heavily on the metal bar of the elevator, impeccable in his black shirt and pants, his white jacket for once properly put on and not thrown on his shoulders.  
The abrupt stop of the elevator took him out of his contemplation and the young man opened his eyes when he saw the doors open on the night blue sky whose horizon was blazing, announcing the arrival of the sun.  
\- You said you were taking me to dinner.  
Yuri hummed before he blew, pushing him on his back to get him out, his eyes shining with a teasing glow as he whispered, his hand on his back descending to his waist to caress it through his thin sweater and thick sweatshirt, making him shudder slightly.  
\- It did.  
Akihito squinted his eyes, the icy air burning his lungs as he let Yuri guide him to the edge of the roof, his breath getting stuck in his chest as he saw the vastness of Moscow stretching out at his feet, the city looking both tiny and gigantic at such a height, and Akihito couldn't help smiling as he saw the roofs of the palaces and the cathedral of St. Basil begin to glow and become colored under the first rays of the sun. The view was magnificent and Akihito began to bitterly regret not having picked up his phone.  
\- Akihito.   
Yuri's voice brought him out of his contemplation and the young man opened his eyes when the Russian knelt down in front of him and plunged his eyes into his own, an incredibly serious look on his face.   
\- We've been a couple and living together for a year and ten months now, and more than two years since I arranged to see you in that restaurant in Tokyo.   
Akihito laughed slightly at these memories, his heart beating with excitement as he finally understood the man's strange behavior.   
\- We went through many hardships together, you stood by me and fought by my side. You are a talented photographer and a young man full of life and courage, and I am proud to have you as my companion.  
Yuri took a box out of an inside pocket of his jacket and opened it again, Akihito's eyes leaving the man's and landing on the little black box as his heart stopped beating.  
\- I promised you that I will always be at your side, no matter what happens, so: do you accept to make this promise concrete and marry me?

Tears blurred his vision, preventing him from seeing the ring his companion was presenting to him properly, the first rays of sunshine warming his face - unless it was the red that was going up to his cheeks - as he heard a "Yes! "and his companion, no, his fiancé, put the ring on his finger before putting the empty box back in his pocket and kissing him feverishly, his large hands sliding down his lower back and through his hair to draw him close, the young man's hands coming around the man's neck and dipping into the pale, straight hair.  
The sudden sound of applause and joyful whistling startled Akihito who broke the kiss to turn his head towards the source of the noise, his heart missing a beat when he saw the world gathered near the elevators and a smile came up to his ears when he recognized many members of the organization with whom he had befriended, his friends Kou, Takato, accompanied by his wife and son, and Yoshida, Fei Long and Tao, as well as his father, some of them filming or taking pictures of them.   
For a moment, Akihito wondered what he should do between jumping into Yuri's arms to thank him, slapping him or jumping into the arms of his father and his friends. Fate seemed to decide for him as his father approached to hug him and whisper softly against his ear.  
\- Congratulations big boy. I'm so happy for you. You're really lucky to have a companion like that by your side.  
With eyes watering with joy and a heart vibrating with euphoria and excitement, Akihito nodded his head as he wiped away the tears that threatened to run down, his gaze lingering for the first time on the white gold ring set with two dark bands of black gold and a few diamonds in the center. The ring was beautiful, simple and elegant, and Akihito turned to his fiancé to whisper softly.  
\- It is beautiful Yuri.   
\- I know, the German jeweler took a long time to make it. Mine should arrive in a few days.  
Akihito nodded his head, his attention turning again to his friends who congratulated him loudly, Erika raving about her ring while Hiroto looked around him, seemingly wondering what was going on, his blue eyes lingering for a moment on the ring he tried to grab with a chubby hand while uttering little joyful cries.  
\- Akihito!  
His father and his friends walked away when Tao jumped into his arms, probably going to congratulate Yuri for letting him talk with Fei Long, the latter slowly approaching with a slight smile on his lips, his golden-brown eyes shining with a glow of tenderness and mischief.   
\- I hope you will be happy with him Akihito.   
\- I am, Fei Long.  
Akihito passed a distracted hand through the ink hair of Tao who watched his ring with interest, as if he wanted to memorize it from every angle, Fei Long looking at his protection with a paternal love that Akihito knew little about him.  
\- Don't forget that the Kiss will always welcome you with open arms if you need it. Now I won't be able to tease you like I used to.   
Tao looked up at them intrigued, probably wondering what teasing they were talking about, but he didn't dare interrupt their conversation, and the young man couldn't help giggling before retorting.  
\- I am just engaged Fei Long, you can still drive Yuri crazy with this until we get married.   
It was the turn of the man with long hair to laugh softly, his golden-brown eyes taking a pensive look as he added in a low voice.  
\- Still, I wish I could have seen the look on Asami's face.  
Akihito didn't have time to answer anything that Yuri was wrapping an arm around his waist to draw him close to him and hand him a glass of Champagne, the young man realizing for the first time that folding tables were carrying glasses full of champagne and little cakes that Tao and Alyona were devouring.  
\- Did you know that if I had said no you would have wasted a lot of money?   
The boy drank a sip of Champagne, happy to be able to taste the cold, sparkling liquid again, while Yuri mischievously retorted.  
\- I would never have done it if I wasn't one hundred percent sure of your answer.  
Fei Long looked up to the sky, the shadow of a smile on his pale lips, and Akihito thought he saw a gleam of jealousy and envy in his golden-brown eyes before he asked after taking a look at Tao.  
\- So, when do you plan to get married?  
That's a good question. Akihito got a sudden dizzy spell as he realized what was falling on him and how much he was going to have to organize.  
\- We don't know yet. I was thinking spring, maybe April, in Japan.

The Japanese could not help smiling at Yuri's words, feeling touched that the man wanted them to get married in his country and Akihito could well imagine getting married and exchanging wedding rings under the cherry blossoms. But it wasn't going to go well with his secret plan and Akihito didn't want to risk overshadowing Ielena and Dimitri's wedding - and waiting until next April suddenly seemed far too far away to him.   
\- Why not do it this winter? There are ways to make a beautiful wedding, to mix our two cultures a little. You know, the Russian winter in Japan.   
Yuri nodded his head, his gaze going far away, probably imagining a winter wedding in turn, and the slight smile and satisfaction in the man's eyes was enough for Akihito to know that his proposal had hit the mark, and the young man felt his heart fly away as Yuri took his hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it, his thumb brushing the ring on his finger and whose diamonds reflected the sun's rays in a multitude of fascinating prisms.  
\- I love you, моя любовь.   
\- I love you too, мой большой медведь.

Akihito collapsed on his bed, exhausted from his morning at the top of Moscow's OKO South Tower, drunk with euphoria and his cheeks aching after smiling so much, his eyes unable to leave the ring on his finger, his body begging him to let him rest. Next to him, Yuri sits at the edge of the bed to remove his shoes and jacket before crawling over him and gently kissing his lips, letting his young companion's hands gently caress the bone of his jaw.  
\- Am I forgiven now, future Mr. Takaba-Arbatov?  
Akihito Arbatov. The name sounded seductively and deliciously dangerous in Yuri's mouth, and Akihito slid his hands along the man's neck, appreciating the hardness of the muscles and tendons under the warm, taut skin, his eyes immersed in Yuri's, devouring him with his gaze, patiently waiting for him to finish his exploration, the calm beating of his heart beating against his skin reminiscent of the slow, peaceful and bewitching drumbeats.   
\- Perhaps.  
His hands slipped for a moment into his fiancé's pale blond hair to pull slightly on it as he dragged his into another kiss, more ferocious this time, letting the Russian's tongue invade his mouth, going so far as to gently suck on the supple muscle to make the man above him groan, who slipped a hand through his short, spiky hair to pull on it.   
Panting, Akihito and Yuri exchanged positions and the young man sat comfortably on his lover's hips before bending over to kiss the man's neck, his teeth nibbling his carotid artery while Yuri's hands rested on his buttocks to knead him, wrenching a groan out of the young man who took revenge with a bite that made the man growl beneath him.  
With dark eyes of desire and a body warmed by need, Akihito straightened up to appreciate the sight of Yuri's marked neck, the latter humming softly as his hands undid his belt to slip one of them into his trousers and slowly caress his sex, making the young man gasp, closing his eyes for a moment before starting to unbutton the white shirt to slowly caress the pale skin, his eyes looking for the slightest trace of any wound or scratch.   
His eyes wrinkled at the sight of a scratch, probably left by a bullet or a missed stab, while a deaf anger seized him: Yuri had told him that nothing serious had happened. And he was wounded.  
The old man gently kissed his jaw, as if to reassure him as he whispered in a low voice, his hand wrapping itself around his sex to caress it slowly while the other plunged into his crow's wing hair.  
\- It's nothing, some idiot tried to plant me this week. I was wearing my bulletproof vest and he screwed it up. It's nothing serious Akihito.  
The young man closed his eyes under the old man's slow caresses, his throbbing and painful needy sex between his skillful fingers, his warm lips slowly descending down his throat to lay a multitude of butterfly kisses in an attempt to soothe him.   
\- You told me you weren't hurt.  
Akihito reopened his eyes, forcing himself out of the mist of pleasure into which Yuri was intentionally sending him, and he grabbed his hands and placed them on the mattress, forcing Yuri to lie down as the young man leaned over him, his lips a few millimeters from his own.  
\- You lied to me. And I don't like being lied to.   
This sentence has an old echo in their memories and Yuri smiles mischievously, both at the memory of that night and at the current situation, letting his young lover lead the race for once, letting him tackle him on the bed when he could easily turn their positions and crush his fiancé under his weight.   
\- What are you going to do then?   
Akihito responded with a hip roll, rubbing himself against his lover's erect sex, a victorious smile on his lips as he gently twisted underneath him, seeking more friction despite the layers of clothing, and bent over to gently kiss the pale skin beneath him, his fingers insidiously caressing the curves and hollows carved by the marble muscles.

The young man kissed the red gash before biting the man's chest, a sudden urge to mark his fiancé as his own seizing him. The amused purr of Yuri beneath him drove him to continue, kissing and biting and sucking his chest and neck, his hands releasing his companion's hands to walk up to the Russian's belt to undo it and slip one of them into his underpants to grab the heavy, warm limb and slowly caress it, Enjoying to see his lover close his eyes and moan under him, to see his hands clinging to the sheets and his hips wiggling under him in the hope of getting more feeling.  
Akihito moved away from his initial position to settle between Yuri's legs, his hands atoning to take off his pants and underpants before going to bed and starting to lick Yuri's genitals, who straightened up to lean against the headboard and look at him, his panting breath and his eyes black with desire and need making the young man's genitals harden even more as he rubbed himself against the sheets to relieve himself from the pain that consumed him like a burning fire.  
Yuri's noisy moaning when he took his sex in his mouth made Akihito blush, and he straightened up slightly to take the best he could of the limb in his mouth, breathing slowly through his nose until he got used to the circumference of the sex in his mouth before starting to move back and forth, his tongue caressing the throbbing vein as his teeth touched the thick and warm flesh, almost threatening to bite at the slightest misstep.   
Again, Akihito closed his eyes, quivering at the touch of a hand in his hair and let him force him to speed up the pace, his fingers clutching fiercely at the man's thighs to hold on as best he could as he felt Yuri's acorn hit the back of his throat, the gesture missing to provoke a nauseous reflex which forced the young man to move back to calm his nausea, the Russian's sex tip at the edge of his lips before taking it in his mouth again, the trembling of his companion telling him that he would not be long in coming.   
In a teasing mood, Akihito slowly licked the throbbing and swollen limb, his eyes staring defiantly at Yuri as he sucked him off with a laziness he knew was unbearable, amused by the frustrated and impatient look the man threw at him, his hand in his hair probably pulling at it in a vain hope of making him speed up.   
\- Please Akihito, hurry up so that I can finally take you as you should.   
The young man felt a shiver run down his spine at this thought but he didn't give in immediately, not wanting to give the impression that he was obeying him and too happy to be the tormenting one for once, before starting to accelerate the pace after about thirty seconds, digging his cheeks to give better suction as he gently purred to provoke vibrations that made Yuri growl, throwing his head back in an effort to keep control, his muscles tense under the shiny sweaty skin. Akihito stifled a gesture of disgust when his companion came into his mouth, forcing him to swallow the hot, thick liquid. This was what he liked least about fellatio, the act of swallowing. Probably the reason why Yuri always stopped him before he came.   
Akihito straightened up to catch his breath and wiped his mouth with the sheets before he was suddenly mowed down by a muscular arm and pinned under Yuri who seemed to have turned into a thirsty beast, the man's hands wandering under his clothes to caress his skin and take them off him, His lips traced tender kissing paths, stopping at the scars to kiss them gently, as if he was afraid of hurting him, and Akihito closed his eyes, purring with pleasure under the caresses, the stings left by the bites and the low, heavy purr of Yuri.  
He gasped as his companion bit his neck, the pain erased by gentle strokes of his tongue that made him shiver, and he tensed his neck as Yuri slowly moved up his throat with his tongue until he reached his ear, his teeth slowly biting his lobe before he could whisper, their chests almost touching.  
\- I'm going to make up for the last four weeks, моя любовь.   
\- I look forward to it.  
He whispered quietly in the hollow of the man's ear before he bit him, biting a whistle out of Yuri who crushed him against the mattress in retaliation, his teeth biting his jaw, and Akihito made an almost painful groan when one of his partner's hands slipped into his pants to squeeze his private parts and massage them.

Trembling with well-being, Akihito stuck his head into the pillows before wrapping his arms around Yuri's shoulders, his fingers retracing the familiar grooves left by his nails during countless frolics, a silent gasp escaping him when Yuri's hand moved to get closer to his buttocks, his thumb rubbing his wrinkled hole, the movement sufficient to trigger sparks of pleasure throughout his body and make him arch.   
\- So impatient for me, right моя сексуальная лиса?  
A bite on his shoulder made Akihito whistle and he gently nodded his head, his dull nails softly planting themselves into Yuri's shoulders, who responded with a satisfying purr before penetrating him with a wet finger of precum, working him slowly as if to make sure he wasn't hurting him.   
\- Hurry up, Yuri.  
He heard himself murmuring in an almost begging tone, his whole body seeming to be caught in a blazing fire, his sex painful from the need to be touched and his mind leaving in the feverish pleasure his companion was giving him, the sensation of the finger bothering him until he touched that magic point in him that made him see the stars and shout with pleasure, his back arching despite the weight of Yuri on his chest.  
\- I prefer to savour you slowly.  
Akihito didn't have time to complain that Yuri was kissing him, his hand pressing his thigh through the tissue to pull it against his hip, his tongue playing with his own as he added another finger and began to make slow scissor movements and bend to scrape the soft stain that reduced him to a moaning, malleable heap that Yuri liked to reshape according to his desires.   
And for the time being, Yuri's desires were to take revenge for his teasing, taking his time to take off his pants with his free hand and to gently kiss his hips and one of his thighs, biting the inside of them as if he had to refrain from tearing off a piece to get a better taste, the almost white light that seeped through the closed curtains gave Yuri's shiny skin a surreal and almost divine look.   
He was taken out of his thoughts by the burning of a bite on his hip, and Akihito gave a slight heel kick to the waist of the man above him who laughed gently before adding a finger and making a few scissor movements, his tongue going up along his belly to play with his nipples, his icy eyes staring at him with amusement as he deliberately only touched his prostate to frustrate him, his lips going to gently kiss the catheter area before chewing on the neglected nipple, and Akihito felt tears accumulate in his eyes as a sudden urge to overthrow Yuri to impale himself on the man's sex, no longer bearing the urge that drove him crazy and the pain in his lower abdomen.   
Yuri straightened up, his forearms resting on either side of his face, and kissed him, his fingers pulling back to make way for his sex, whose head he pressed against his entrance, humming softly as he kissed him along his jaw, and Akihito plunged his hands into the pale golden hair, unravelling them so that he could grab hold of them.   
\- Please Yuri.   
He took a more begging tone and played with Yuri's hair, knowing that his lover would give in. And he uttered a silent cry of pleasure when the man suddenly penetrated him, his arms wrapped around him to hold him in position as he savagely pounded him, Akihito closing his eyes and breathing heavily and with difficulty as he was ravaged by pleasure, Feeling every knock his companion gave him, the warmth of their bodies became infernal as his sight became blurred and his cheeks blushed at the sound of their wet skins slapping against each other.   
The young man found it difficult to concentrate on what was going on around him, his mind could only concentrate on the divine sensations that were running through him and on his companion above him who was finally freeing him from all the frustration accumulated during that month, his fingers pulling at his blond hair as he ferociously kissed his partner, his sex stuck between their bellies stimulated by Yuri's movements, his sweat burning his skin as much as Yuri's kidney punches were burning his insides and keeping his eyes open became more difficult, as much as keeping his head up.   
The black-haired boy finally gave up and let himself go against the thick pillows and closed his eyes as the pleasure was making its way inside him and his breathing became more panting, the palpitations of Yuri's sex telling him that he was about to come too.   
He came when Yuri wrapped a hand around his genitalia to caress it, and a few seconds later he was ready to come too.

Breathless, Yuri kissed him before retiring from him, quickly cleaning them with a piece of sheet that he threw across the bed before asking.  
\- Satisfied, моя любовь?  
Exhausted, Akihito lay down on his stomach and glanced at Yuri who lay on his side next to him, his face pressed against his hand, his body as marked as his own.  
\- Very. Maybe I'll allow you to sleep with me tonight after all.   
Yuri smiled softly at his remark, his icy eyes staring at him with a tenderness that warmed his chest and made him smile in spite of himself, and his companion chuckled before he began to draw imaginary patterns on his back and blew more seriously, his eyes gliding along his body as if he was discovering it for the first time.  
\- What about your chemo? What did Ivanov say?  
Akihito had told him about his chemo but very little of what Ivanov had said, probably not wanting to worry him with complicated scientific terms.   
\- I have more than chemo to do in a few days and a few small radiotherapy sessions to do to make sure the cancer is gone. Then I'll have to go to the hospital from time to time to make sure it doesn't come back.   
Yuri nodded his head and Akihito raised his hand to gently caress his face before whispering.  
\- It's raining good news: my cancer is almost gone, my boyfriend has asked me to marry him, and we're going to get married in the winter. Dimitri and Ielena are getting married next month and Natalia is going to give birth soon.  
\- And your hair will start to grow back.  
The young man laughs before rolling over to lie down against Yuri, his face next to him before whispering softly, a mutinous expression on his face.  
\- Don't you like my short hair?  
\- I like it when I can wrap my fingers in it and play with it.  
Akihito wanted to answer something but knocks at the door interrupted him and Yuri grunted before kissing him and getting up, quickly putting on some underwear before opening the door to Ielena who handed him an envelope before whispering softly.  
\- Pictures of your engagement. Developed and fresh out of the darkroom. I'll leave you to your reunion.  
Ielena winked at them in amusement before disappearing into the bright corridor, leaving them alone. Akihito tore off his lover's envelope when the latter joined him in bed and opened it to take out about fifty photos, leaning against Yuri so that he could look at them with him, commenting on them in a low voice, Suna lying down beside Yuri, his iceberg-like pale blue eyes staring at them with interest.   
\- I like this one very much.  
Yuri showed him one of the photos where they were both on top, him, with his white shirt almost too bright under the glowing red sky, his jacket abandoned somewhere and his hair perfectly combed back, his arm surrounding Akihito who was buried under a thick fluffy sweatshirt, a thin sweater and a grey hat and holding a glass of champagne, his icy eyes only staring at the young man who was talking to someone who must have been Dimitri or Nikolai, he couldn't remember well. In any case, they radiated happiness and even a stranger could not deny the love between them.  
\- It's all right. I'll send it to Daddy. And I want to frame it.   
Yuri kissed him before whispering softly against his ear.  
\- I'll take care of it. Now get some rest. Ielena will kill you if you're not fit enough to dance all night at her wedding.  
The young man leaned against his fiancé's chest, admiring the gleaming metal on his finger for a few more seconds before he blew, closing his eyes as fatigue fell on him like a leaden screed.  
\- Say that for yourself, old man.  
He heard Yuri laughing softly and his fingers gently dipping into his hair as he hummed lightly, the man's cold eyes softening as his companion plunged into a dreamless sleep, happy to be soon connected with the person he loved most in the world.  
\- I love you so much Akihito.   
Lulled by the breaths of Suna and his fiancé, Yuri closed his eyes, the pale golden rays of the sun warming his skin, reminding him that he was supposed to work and manage the group in the absence of Aaron to replace him. But for once, Yuri had no desire to work, let alone the courage to force himself to do so because it was what he was supposed to do as an adult and a member of the organization. No, this time he just wanted to laze in bed and enjoy his young fiancé as much as possible, to savour the warmth of the sun on his skin and the sight of the boy sleeping against him and Suna when the animal puts himself in an absurd and ridiculous sleeping position and makes him laugh. 

And damn it, the world will burn in hell before it lets anyone harm this peace and hurt these two beings. Yuri would rather die a million times before he let that happen.  
of the boy sleeping against him and Suna when the animal puts himself in an absurd and ridiculous sleeping position and makes him laugh. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the chapter was already quite long, I thought I could do a little extra on their wedding, what do you think?


End file.
